cartography and Mapping

Cartography is the art and science of map making - expressing the known physical features of the earth graphically by maps, drawings, plans, and charts.

Cartography is core to engineering surveying as one of the main functions of surveying is to acquire data on the shape and position of features on the ground, and to somehow delineate this information on maps, plans and drawings so as to make this data useful for other observers/users. These maps and plans can range from simple drawings in terms of sketches through to plans and maps, all based on some fundamentals of graphical communication.

Cartography focuses on the production of maps, including construction of projections, design, compilation, drafting, and reproduction. Cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively

Aid in understanding cartography, i have divided it into the following four parts

  • Introduction to Drawings and Maps - it covers: Introduction to maps, drawings, and plans; drawing instruments; drawing media and materials; free hand sketching; geometrical figures and ellipses; projection systems, isometric and oblique projections, orthographic projections; Sectional views, plans, elevations, and sections; lettering; and dimensioning.

  • Use of Drawings and Maps - it covers: Map data sources, Map Scales; Map symbols, conventional survey and construction symbols and signs; Contours, Plotting traverse stations and features; Production of drawing; Map elements, Interpretation of drawings, maps and locating features; Map Revision

  • Cartography and Map Production - it covers: Introduction to Cartography, Maps and cartographic representation, Map design and cartographic techniques, Map reading and interpretation; Printing and production of maps

    • Digital Cartography and Geo-Sciences - it covers: introduction to digital/computer cartography, Computer graphics and Cartography; World map, Virtual, and Web maps, Sources of data, quality of map data, image generation and transfer of images on maps, Generalization and map layers; map topology; design of screen maps; Revision of existing maps; Map analysis of time and cost.